


And Room For One More

by LastCorsair



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 18:01:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21632644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LastCorsair/pseuds/LastCorsair
Summary: Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long realize that Weiss Schnee is the unspoken third partner in their relationship, they decide the only right thing to do is make room for her.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Weiss Schnee/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 32
Kudos: 123





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I've had this idea burning in my brain for two weeks now, so I decided to try and write it out. Please let me know what you think!

Wan autumn sunlight filtered down from the overcast sky above, hinting at the possibility of heavy weather later in the day. But for now the weather was holding off, the wind just a bit chilly as they walked through the park. Weiss and Blake meandered down the path in comfortable silence, both of them enjoying the other’s company. Blake stopped at a spot where a bit of shoreline jutted out into the pond, wondering if the ice on the pond would get thick enough for ice skating this year. It hadn’t last year. There was an indoor rink in Vale but it always seemed more fun outdoors. Well, if they took a mission that just happened to be in Atlas, Blake was sure Weiss could find them somewhere to skate. Maybe they could even convince Yang to join them this time.

Weiss couldn’t help but notice that Blake was already wearing the earmuffs that she’d bought her for Midwinter last year, no it must be two years ago now. Knowing her friend was enjoying her gift made Weiss smile; it hadn’t been easy finding someone that could provide earmuffs covering all four of Blake’s ears without Blake knowing about it. Adding the Belladonna family crest had been a beautiful touch if Weiss did say so herself.

Blake turned to look at Weiss, tilting her head toward the path to ask if they should continue. Weiss nodded and the pair moved on, unconsciously falling into step side by side. Without realizing it, their thoughts both turned back to their first days at Beacon, thinking about how unlikely a pair of friends they were, Blake, a former member of the radical branch of the White Fang, and Weiss, one-time heiress to a company that had been a frequent target of the White Fang. But they had become teammates by chance, and then through fire and strife, they’d become battle-tested friends.

Without thinking about it, Weiss pulled a hand from her pocket and rested it on her stomach. The scar from when Cinder Fall had impaled her still bothered her from time to time, even though the healers said it was all in her mind. _You get impaled and see if it’s all in_ _ **y**_ _ **our**_ _mind,_ was what Weiss had to say about that.

Raising an eyebrow Blake mirrored Weiss’s motion, resting a hand on the scar Adam Taurus had given her at the Fall of Beacon. “Bothering you? Mine does too, sometimes.”

Weiss nodded as she stepped out of the way to let a jogger pass, breath fogging in the chill morning air. “We’ve been through so much; don’t you ever wonder that we’re still alive?”

Her friend smiled. “Every day. But let the fear have its moment, then push it aside. All we can do is keep moving forward, not let the past hold us back.”

Weiss couldn’t help but smile in return. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something, then stopped, closing it again without saying a word. Blake just flicked an ear and let it ride. Weiss would open up about what was bothering her in her own time, and if it never came, that was okay, Blake would do her best to support her friend just the same.

“Have you talked to your sister lately?” Blake asked instead. Weiss hated talking about her family but usually, Winter was a safe topic of conversation.

Weiss nodded, and Blake sagged with relief. “I talked to her last week. She’s very busy, helping Ironwood put things right in Atlas. Centuries of exploitation can’t be undone overnight but he’s doing his best to make sure things are better going forward. And that ‘stronger together’ line you gave him is helping a lot.”

The cat-eared girl smiled as she remembered the day she’d told General Ironwood, “We are always stronger together than divided. That’s why Salem set up the Fall of Beacon, why she tried to destroy the Amity Tower. Because she feared us being united.”

“Oh, and she’s dating again,” Weiss added.

“That’s wonderful. Did she tell you anything about them?”

“No.” Weiss’s face was a grimace of annoyance. “It’s something of a long-distance relationship since whoever they are is as busy as my sister is. But they get together as often as they can. Winter is, I think Winter’s scared of jinxing this, after what happened.”

Blake couldn’t help but wince at Weiss’s words. Winter’s last boyfriend had turned out to be an agent of Salem’s, and it had devastated the older Schnee sister. “Hopefully this works out better for her, this time.”

“I hope so too. My sister deserves to be happy, and she’s so terribly lonely.”

Quiet fell once again, the quiet of two friends who’ve known each other for years and don’t feel the need to fill the silence with words. It was one of the things Blake appreciated about Weiss, how the white-haired girl could be there, enjoying the quiet with her. Not that Blake hated conversation and laughter, but there were others in her life she sought out for those things.

Another turn of the path and they came to one of the picnic areas set up in the park. Weiss smiled and gestured at the grill, now filled with fallen leaves. “Remember the barbecue we did last year when Yang declared herself the grillmaster?”

“And set her hair on fire,” Blake answered with a laugh. “I’m still not sure how she managed to do that.”

“Probably not paying enough attention while she was working the grill. At least she wasn’t badly burned and didn’t argue when I sat her down and tied her hair up.” Weiss looked at Blake, a wistful smile on her face. “Have you ever thought about growing your hair out again?”

“Sometimes.” Unconsciously Blake ran a hand through her shoulder-length hair. “I liked having it long, but when we got to Atlas back then, it just seemed time for a change. Maybe in my mind, it was a symbol of leaving my past behind, I don’t know anymore.”

“Maybe. And I liked your hair when it was longer, but this suits you too.”

“Thanks,” Blake answered, blushing a little. “I’ll think about it.”

“You know, you’ve got the shortest hair of all of us right now. Even Ruby’s growing hers out lately.”

“Yeah. It looks good on her.” Their redheaded team leader had always kept her hair messy and short, but over the last year, she’d been letting it get longer and neater.

Weiss’ words about her sister being desperately lonely came back to Blake as they walked on. None of Weiss’s relationships had worked out, not even a blind date with Ilia. Which, looking back, had probably not been one of Blake’s best ideas. Once again Blake found herself trying to think of someone to set Weiss up with that was still available. Well, Beacon was back up and running now; maybe one of the new instructors would be a good match for Weiss. Blake made a note to herself to talk to Goodwitch about it without letting Weiss know what she was doing. Weiss had her pride, after all.

They stopped for a moment by a bench that in warmer days was one of their favorite places to sit. Trees arched over the bench from either side, providing cooling shade from spring or summer sun. Now the branches were bare, leaving it fully exposed to the sun. For a moment Weiss was tempted to suggest they rest for a few moments, but a sudden breeze put that thought to rest. No, if they decided to sit down anywhere, it was going to be back in the cafe where they’d met this morning.

“Did you get a chance to see Coco and Velvet’s baby? He’s adorable,” Weiss added after a few moments of staring wistfully at the bench.

Blake grinned. “I made it back home from Menagerie just in time to see them for a few hours. And yeah, he’s adorable. Who would have ever thought that footloose and fancy-free Coco Adel would get down on one knee to propose to Velvet? In the middle of the reunion of the survivors of the Fall of Beacon no less?”

“I think Velvet was the most surprised of all,” Weiss answered with a laugh. “I know she had feelings for Coco, but I don’t think she knew how deeply Coco returned them. Coco told me the roughest part was introducing Velvet to her parents. Her mother… didn’t take it well.”

Blake’s grin turned into a grimace. Coco’s mother was one of the corporate oligarchs of Atlas like Weiss’s father, only Coco and her mother had gotten along great. “Knowing Coco, she probably pulled down her sunglasses, looked her mother in the eye, and said, ‘And?’ It’s easier to change a Grimm’s mind than hers.”

“More or less. Her mother’s come around, though. Apparently, when Coco was about six months along, she showed up on their doorstep wanting to know if Coco was actually pregnant. Coco just gestured at her stomach, said, ‘What do you think? Now fuck off unless you’re carrying my Mistrali food, I’m hungry.’ An hour later her mother was back with one of everything from the nearest Mistrali takeout place’s menu.”

“Brothers, that must have been a sight to see,” Blake laughed. “Well, if she didn’t know what Cocoa wanted...”

“Oh, it gets better. “Weiss winked at Blake. “By the time she got back, Velvet had returned with Coco’s actual order. Which made things really awkward.”

The two of them laughed, then fell back into that companionable silence again. Finally came again to a favorite spot, one that held so many memories for them. In warmer weather, it was a favorite picnic spot for them and their friends when the pond was frozen enough for skating this was usually where they got on the ice. Accepting the inevitable, Weiss decided it was finally time to tell Blake what she needed to say.

The white-haired young woman took Blake’s hand, gently turning the Faunus to face her. She looked up into her friend’s gorgeous amber eyes as Blake looked down at her expectantly, wondering what had made Weiss take her hand. Weiss licked her lips nervously. They were so close, it would be easy to stand up on her tip-toes and just-

“Blake?”

The moment shattered as Weiss realized what she’d done, what she’d been about to do. Standing just around the turn in the path was Blake’s girlfriend, Yang, a shocked expression on her face. “What-what’s going on here?”

“N-nothing! Weiss just-” Blake stammered, pulling away from Weiss.

“Oh, I see what Weiss was doing. And yeah, I noticed how much time the two of you have been spending together.” Yang was closer now, just steps away from them.

“You’ve been spending just as much time with her!” Blake yelled, gesturing at Weiss.

“Please don’t fight, it’s my fault,” Weiss said quietly, but neither of her friends noticed.

“Only because you’ve been avoiding me!” Yang snapped. “And now I know why!”

“This isn’t it! I’ve been helping my dad with the Silver Fang. It’s been hard, getting things set up in Atlas. Weiss was helping me.”

Yang shot back, “Yeah, and wasn’t that a good excuse to spend more time with her!”

“It’s my fault, I was-” Weiss started again, only to be interrupted by Blake.

“Well maybe, if you weren’t always off on missions-”

“Hey, somebody’s got to pay the bills! All that time you’ve been spending with your dad and Weiss doesn’t pay anything! Or does it?”

Weiss had had enough. “I said, IT’S ALL MY FAULT!” she roared, a glyph forming at her feet without her thinking about it. Yang and Blake stopped yelling at her, staring at Weiss with their mouths open.

“Weiss, what-” Yang started, but Weiss kept right on going, tears starting to roll down her face. “I was the one who decided to keep you both company when the other was busy. Because it’s killing me being this close to you without being _with_ you but it was better than nothing. And I thought that if I could just help the two of you stay together that’d be enough, but it wasn’t enough and I fucked up and crossed a line and I’m sorry. So I’m leaving Vale and going back to Atlas to help my sister and Ironwood. You, you don’t need to worry about me anymore.”

“Slow down, Weiss.” Blake looked… concerned? Which was not what Weiss expected. “I think I’m missing something here.”

Weiss wiped the tears off her face, irritation and frustration taking control long enough to force out words that couldn’t be taken back. “Do I have to spell it out? I’m in love with you. Both of you,” she clarified before either of them could say a word. “I have been for a while, but by the time I realized it, you two were together, and I couldn’t bring myself to come between you, I care about you too much. But then you started having a rough patch, being apart more, and I, I thought I could help by being there for you when the other was gone. But I guess I went too far. I’m sorry, I really am. I’ll go now.”

She turned to leave, but before she could take more than a few steps, she felt a gentle hand on each arm. Blake and Yang looked at each other in surprise. Without realizing it, they’d both reached out to keep Weiss from leaving. “We need to talk about this,” Yang said simply. “I mean, you can’t just spit something like this out and walk off, right? Weiss, I wish, I don’t know, I wish you’d said something earlier before you go this worked up.”

“What good would it have done, Yang?” Weiss said quietly, not trying to shake their hands from her arms.

“I don’t know,” Blake said gently, shifting her hand to take Weiss’s hand in hers. “But we could have talked about it without things turning into this.”

“I’m sorry,” Weiss said, sniffling and trying to hold back the tears she could feel starting again.

“Don’t be. And don’t cry, either.” Yang pulled Weiss into a hug, the white-haired young woman melting into those strong arms, Blake joining them after a moment. “You did the best you could, right? That, that’s anyone can do.” A sudden gust of wind blew Yang’s long hair everywhere, getting it in her mouth and making her shiver. “Let’s, let’s get out of this wind and continue this conversation somewhere warm. Isn’t that cafe where you two meet like a block from here?”

The three of them walked quickly through the growing wind, Blake on one side of Weiss still holding her hand, Yang with an arm around Weiss’s waist. Weiss held her arms folded, not wanting to touch either one of them for fear of making things worse while savoring their touch and hating herself for it. Why were they doing this? She’d almost been the death of their relationship, hadn’t she? Wouldn’t it be better just to let her leave? Maybe, maybe they could be friends again, someday, but not today. She snuck a glance at Blake, only to have her raven-haired friend give her a concerned smile. Weiss didn’t know if that was better or worse than she was expecting.

Inside the cafe, Yang saw Blake and Weiss to a table before heading to the counter. She figured a round of everyone’s regular orders would be okay, and if not, well, she’d go ahead and order whatever they wanted, it was that kind of day.

The freckle-faced clerk at the counter took her order then glanced at Weiss and Blake. “The two of them have a fight or something? Ohmygod, they didn’t break up, did they?”

“Break up? What? They’re not- It’s complicated,” Yang said with a sigh.

“Oh, sorry, I assumed-” The clerk shook her head. “They’re always in here together, I mean I’ve got their order memorized and everything, and the way they act, I thought they were a couple. Guess I shouldn’t assume, right? I’ll get that up right away, no charge.”

“You don’t-” But it was too late, the clerk was already bustling around, getting their order ready.

While she waited, Yang glanced back at Blake and Weiss, partly out of concern for Weiss and partly wondering what the clerk saw that made her think they were a couple. Blake had scooted her chair close to Weiss and was leaning close to her, one hand on Weiss’ back and the other holding her friend’s hand. Blake said something Yang couldn’t catch, making Weiss shake her head.

By the time their order was ready, Yang was so deep in thought that the clerk had to literally poke Yang in the shoulder. Which was not a great idea with a fully-trained Huntress. After apologizing, Yang took the tray and wandered back to their table.

Weiss was looking better now. She’d wiped up some of her smeared makeup and some color was coming back to her cheeks. “I, I’m really sorry about all of this, Yang. I, I can’t stop apologizing and I’m sorry. Now I’m apologizing for apologizing,” she said with a hollow laugh.

“It’s okay,” Yang said with a smile. “You had a lot of stuff bottled up. And I guess I’ve got some apologizing to do too. If you hadn’t been there for us, I’m not sure Blake and I would still be together. We took advantage of that, even if we didn’t know it, and I’m sorry.” Blake nodded guiltily in agreement. “I just… I feel really bad because, um, I’m not sure about the best way to say this so I’m just going to say it. Somehow, Weiss, without any of us realizing it, you became part of me and Blake’s relationship. And, um, you’re obviously not getting what you need if you’ve been bottling things up like this.”

“What are you saying? Blake asked, looking back and forth between Weiss and Yang in confusion.

“Heh,” the blonde said, searching for the reasoning behind her words. “What’s the first thing we do when one of us suggests a movie night?”

“We...” Realization crept onto the black-haired girl's face. “We call Weiss, see if she wants to join us. And we don’t call anyone else, do we? And if it’s just you and me, we’ll argue for an hour before picking a movie, but with Weiss around, we settle on one in ten minutes. And when one of us is busy and the other one needs someone to hang out with, they call Weiss, if she’s not busy with the other one already.”

“I was just being a good friend,” Weiss said quietly.

“Nuh-uh,” Yang replied, waving a finger at Weiss. “It’s more than that. You’re over at our place three nights out of four when you’re not out on a job. And that two weeks Blake spent with her dad in Vacuo, the only reason you went home was to shower. Hell, when I took that job just to get out of the house, you met me at the airship without saying a word.”

Blake shifted in her seat, the hand on Weiss’s back moving down to her hand and the other reaching out to take Yang’s. “Yang, Weiss, I don’t know what to say. I guess I feel as guilty as Yang does for not realizing how much of a part of our life Weiss had become. So I’m sorry too, Weiss. And Yang, I’m sorry if how close I got to Weiss hurt you.”

Yang reached out a hand towards Weiss, and when their hands met, and idea set in place in Yang’s head with a _snap._ It was clumsy and awkward and probably the worst idea she’d ever had while at the same time being the most brilliant. “Blake, um, what do you think about asking Weiss to be our girlfriend?”

“What? Blake asked, stunned, while Weiss snapped, “Excuse me?”

“No, no, no, hear me out.” Yang held her hands up to them placatingly. “Listen, Weiss is a part of us, right Blake? I think… I think we both care about her, a lot. This is just… admitting things, bringing them out in the open and talking about them, and, um, opening up the possibility of taking things further.”

The three of them sat in silence for a while, Weiss with her arms folded and looking down at the table, Blake with her ears flat on her head, Yang’s drumming the table nervously. Finally, Weiss snapped, putting a hand on Yang’s and pressing the blonde’s hand flat on the table. “Stop that, it’s aggravating. And assuming Blake agrees, I’m willing to try what you’re suggesting. The word you want is ‘polyamory,’ by the way. I’ve seen it done before but it’s more difficult than a two-person relationship, obviously.”

“I’m sure the empress of research can probably dig up some advice on how to make it work,” Blake said with a smile. “Maybe reach out to the people you know that are already doing it? I don’t think it would work with anyone besides Weiss, but… you’re right, Yang, she’s special to us. I’m open to the idea.”

“Great, great.” Yang opened her scroll checking the time. “Tell you what, as our first official act as maybe-kinda-sorta mutual girlfriends, I propose lunch at that Mistrali place we all love. My treat. And then maybe a movie marathon on the couch? We’ve got a lot to talk about.”


	2. Chapter 2

Weiss shifted sleepily, wondering what she’d fallen asleep on that was so, so lumpy but comfortable at the same time. Then she realized that was sitting up, and that the lump under the small of her back was an arm. _Okay, I fell asleep on the couch with someone. Who…?_ Then she remembered what had happened the day before, what she’d almost done, and Yang’s bumbling solution. Weiss’s eyes snapped open, and she stifled a groan when she realized that she was indeed laying on the couch Yang and Blake’s living room. With, unfortunately, Yang and Blake snuggled up on either side of her, pinning her in place. Yang’s left arm was the lump under Weiss’s back, her prosthetic mercifully detached and laying on the coffee table. Blake was on Weiss’ left, one arm around her shoulders, the other lying across Weiss’s chest. Both of them were still sleeping peacefully, without apparent care of the world, and it made Weiss’s heart ache to realize how much they’d be hurt if she wasn’t there when they woke up.

_But I can’t stay. I can’t let them ruin what they have, just to spare me pain. I won’t hurt them like that._ Gently Weiss lifted Blake’s arm from her chest and set it the other girl’s lap. She felt a spike of panic when one of Blake’s feline ears twitched, but Blake just shifted a little in her sleep, drawing closer to Weiss. Before Weiss could sit up, a sleepy voice from her right murmured, “House rule, princess. When we fall asleep on the couch, first one to get up cooks breakfast. And that’s _cook,_ not buy.”

Yang’s words made Weiss gulp. While nowhere near as lacking as they had once been, her culinary skills were still somewhat sub-par. “D-does that apply to me?”

“I say it does.” Yang shifted a bit closer to Weiss, laying her head on the white-haired girl’s shoulder. “Don’t think Blake will object, either. Encourages morning snuggles, and she’s big on those.”

“This is… very comfortable,” Weiss admitted. “H-however, this morning, you’re going to either have to give me amnesty or endure my cooking. I need to pee.”

“Well, in that case,” Blake stood and stretched, not nearly as asleep as she’d been pretending, “I’ll cook. Be on your way.”

When Weiss returned, Blake was busy cooking in the kitchen, Yang sitting at the dining room table watching her. Yang grinned at Weiss, gesturing at the chair next to her, eyes barely flickering away from Blake. The white-haired girl reluctantly sat down, taking the cup of coffee Blake handed her before returning to making breakfast.

After a minute, Yang frowned. “Something wrong, Blake?”

“It’s… it’s nothing, Yang,” Blake replied, fingers flashing as she cut vegetables with speed and precision.”

“It’s not ‘nothing. If something’s bothering you, speak up. If… if you don’t want to, um do this, I, I can go.” Weiss started to stand, only to have Blake wave her back to her seat with a sigh.

“It’s not you joining us, it’s...” Blake shook her head. “I noticed you, watching me while I cook. The way you looked at me, until now, the only person that looked at me like that was Yang. And Adam,” she added quietly

Weiss looked away, embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t-”

“Stop.” Blake’s finger jabbed out at Weiss combined with a glare that would have done Winter herself justice. “It’s okay, you don’t have anything to be sorry for, not really. But… When Yang and I got together, it was hard for me to accept that she really loved me. I’m just… adjusting to the idea of both of you loving me like that.” The ravenette’s expression softened into a smile and she bent down to rest her forehead against Weiss’s. “Be patient with me, please? Both of you.”

Weiss closed her eyes, filling her nostrils with Blake’s scent while she savored her presence. This, having Blake this close to her, touching in such a caring way, this was something she’d long since consigned to the realm of impossibility. “If-if you’ll be patient with me, too.”

“Always,” Blake murmured before sauntering back to the stove.

Yang just grinned behind her coffee cup, glad the two of them were getting along. As brilliant an idea as this was (and she figured this was one of her most brilliant ones), it wasn’t a sure thing yet. Yet. But as far as Yang was concerned, yesterday Weiss had gone from being one of her best friends to being the second girlfriend Yang didn’t know she had. And if Weiss was as miserable as she’d seemed in the park yesterday, that meant Yang wasn’t keeping up on her end of things. “Can’t blame Weiss for admiring the view, Blake. ‘Specially since I note you’re the only one of us that isn’t wearing what she wore yesterday.”

Blake laughed, gesturing at her yukata. “I woke up really early and decided to change before rejoining the two of you. I thought it’d make Weiss feel more welcome if I was still there when she woke up. You are quite the cuddle-bug, Weiss.”

“S-sorry,” Weiss said, hiding her face to conceal the blush she could feel spreading on her cheeks.

“Don’t be, Blake loves cuddles and so do I.” Yang set her coffee on the table and stood behind Weiss, hands hovering over Weiss’s shoulders. “Trust me?” Weiss nodded, knowing what the blonde had in mind, and Yang started massaging Weiss’s neck and shoulders. “Yeah, just like I figured. You’re all stiff just like you always used to be back at Beacon. Thought a good massage would help you relax, make you feel more at home.”

“But-” the white-haired girl started to interrupt, only to interrupt herself with a moan that was half pain and half pleasure. “But this isn’t my home,” she finally got out through Yang’s ministrations. “This is your place, yours and Blake’s.”

“Ah.” Yang winked at Blake. That had the sound of being a sticking point, something they had to help Weiss past. “Physical space as a proxy for emotional space, then?”

“Not quite, but...” Weiss frowned, looking for the right words to convey her thoughts. “I’m an intruder here, I don’t want to disrupt your lives.”

“Wrong word, princess.” Yang reached down, plucking Weiss’s neglected cup from her hand before it spilled, or worse, fell from her hand completely and broke. “You’re not an intruder, we invited you, remember? And that makes the word we’re looking for adjusting, _not_ disrupting.”

“But-” Weiss started again, only to have Blake slide a plate onto the table next to her. “I’ve got an idea, Yang,” the cat-eared girl said. “What about giving Weiss her own space here? Uh, I mean, you know,” Blake finished, scratching behind her ear in embarrassment as she looked at Weiss.

Weiss caught the scent of what awaited her on the plate but put it from her mind for a moment. It fell to her to say what Blake didn’t want to, but being forthright was second nature for her. “You and Yang are already sleeping together, and it’s likely to be a while before I have that sort of relationship with either of you. If ever.”

“Yeah, I mean, you’re both really hot, but,” Yang shrugged. “Let’s, let’s not jinx this by pushing things too far too fast. Oh boy, lots of things to sort out, huh?”

“On that, we agree. Brute,” Weiss added as she picked up a fork and took a bite of her breakfast. Fantastic. She could get used to eating like this on a regular basis.

“So, unanimous about taking it slow, then,” Blake said, turning her face so the others didn’t see her flush of embarrassment. “But back to my idea about giving Weiss her own space.”

“Where, babe?” Yang said with a frown, taking her seat again at the table. “What, give her her own dresser in our room? Kinda cramped in there as it is.”

“Our spare bedroom, the one that’s allegedly a guest room,” Blake answered, waving a knife vaguely at the direction of the named room before returning to chopping vegetables. She’d forgotten to account for Weiss when prepping to cook. Not a mistake she intended to make again.

Weiss raised an eyebrow, highlighting her scar. “You mean the room that’s crammed with junk? I don’t think I’ve seen the bed in at least a year.”

“Yeah,” Yang admitted with embarrassment. “I don’t remember the last time I was in there. We’d have to clean it out.”

“No, that’s a job for you,” Blake said, giving Yang a Look. “Most of that junk is yours. And maybe Weiss can get started looking for some advice on how to make this work?” She looked at Weiss with a shrug. “There are blogs and books for just about everything, there’s got to be something to give us a starting point.”

* * *

Yang stopped in the kitchen to pour herself a glass of ice water, saying quietly to Blake, “How’s Weiss doing? She’s been at that for, what, three hours now, and her last response to me was kinda abrupt.”

The white-haired young woman sat on the couch, using Blake and Yang’s home interface to read some article or another. Blake shrugged. “She says she’s fine, but we both know Weiss’s ‘fine.’”

“Yeah.” ‘Fine from Weiss meant, ‘I am going to pretend this is okay when it really isn’t. “Double girlfriend intervention?”

“In a minute. Yang, I need to tell you something.” Blake licked her lips and glanced at Weiss before looking Yang in the eye. “Yesterday, at the park, when Weiss and I were looking at each other just before… everything, she had this look in her eye like she was going to try and kiss me. For a moment, I kinda wanted her to, or maybe I wanted to kiss her first, I don’t know. But just for a moment, Yang, I promise” She stopped, breathless, waiting for Yang’s response.

The blonde’s hands clenched into fists for a moment before letting go. “Yeah, I got something I need to tell you, too. At the cafe, the clerk, she ah, she thought you two were a couple, that you’d broke up or something. But it’s okay, babe, all of it.” She pulled Blake into her arms, resting her chin in the gap between Blake’s neck and shoulder, inhaling Blake’s scent. “Look, when I saw the two of you, and it looked like you were about to kiss or something, the thing that made me mad wasn’t that you two were ‘together,’ it was that neither of you told me. I’m not the greedy sort, Blake, you love her. So do I. That, and a lot of understanding, that’s what we’re going to need to make this work.”

The two of them stood there like that, holding each other, both of them trying to pull the uncertainty out of the other. The sounds of a cabinet opening and closing and the sink running broke the moment and they pulled apart to see Weiss standing there, filling a glass with water. “I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said quietly, “but I realized I was getting thirsty.”

“It’s okay,” Yang answered with a smile as she held out a hand to Weiss without taking her other arm from Blake. “Want in on the hug before I get back to work?” Yang was really hoping Weiss would join in their embrace. Something about the way Weiss had been acting since everything had come out told her that Weiss seriously needed plain old hugs and stuff.

“If it’s okay-” Before Weiss could finish her sentence, she found herself pulled into a three-way hug with both of her… should she call them girlfriends? Whatever. The tension and dread that had been building up for the past three hours melted away.

“So,” Yang asked as they pulled away, “What’s the good word? Any secret sauce that’s the secret ingredient to the Belladonna-Schnee-Xiao Long stew?” She gave the shorter of her two girlfriends a broad smile, trying to encourage her.

“Please don’t ever say that again. It sounds like some horrible disease that it takes you a long time to die from and has no cure. And the most consistent advice I’ve found so far says the ‘secret sauce’ as you put it is… communication,” Weiss said simply, wiping her eyes in embarrassment. “Disregarding some advice that’s not applicable to us, most of it stressed the need for communication even more than in a two-person relationship. For example, if Blake feels that you and I are spending too much time together and she’s being slighted, she needs to say something. ‘Speak before spoken to,’ is the most succinct phrasing I can come up with. And explicit is better than implicit.” The white-haired girl took half a step back, reaching out to rest a hand on both their shoulders before continuing. “For example, what do we tell everyone? And how soon? When should I refer to you as my girlfriends? Today? Tomorrow? A year from now?”

“That’s a good point.” Blake ran a hand up Weiss’s arm to her shoulder, noticing Weiss’s reaction to the contact. “I don’t want to go spreading the word too far too fast; we’ve been ‘official’ less than a day, after all. Maybe we could take some vacation time, spend it getting comfortable with each other?”

“Yeah, good idea. Tell your parents you need a break from all the running around they’ve had you doing.” Yang glanced at Weiss. “I, um, I don’t want to keep it from dad or Ruby too long. Feels kinda wrong, keeping them out of the loop. Maybe keep it to family as we run into them, at least for the first month or so?”

Weiss nodded. “That’s about what I was thinking. And it’ll probably be another month before I talk to Winter, as busy as she’s been.”

“Yeah, same with Ruby. The Council’s got her running around, recruiting all the silver-eyed people she can for Huntsman training.” Yang shook her head. “Hey, how long do you have on your lease, Weiss?”

“Um, about that...” Weiss grimaced; this was going to be awkward. “I have about a month left, but I’ve already told them I wouldn’t be renewing it. I was planning on moving to Atlas, to work with my sister and Ironwood.”

“But now you’re staying, right?” Yang gave Weiss a smile.

Weiss took a deep breath. “Yes,” she said decisively, enjoying the smiles on their faces. “Though I’ll have to either renew my lease or find somewhere new.”

“Nope.” Yang stretched her arms over her head. “We’ll just stick to the plan. Spare bedroom becomes your room. And, um, we swap out some of our furniture for your furniture. I’ve always loved your couch. Oh, we’re gonna need a new dining room table, a round one. And three matching chairs, obviously.”

“The table we have is big enough, Yang, we don’t need to wast the money on a new table,” Weiss snapped.

Blake poked her in the shoulder. “Yeah, but you can’t space three people evenly around a square table, can you? You and I can go pick it out while Yang finishes up her cleaning. And we can pick out new bedding for you, too. My treat; call it a housewarming gift if you like.”

The white-haired young woman’s eyes narrowed as she looked from one of them to the other. “I’m not getting a vote in this, am I?”

“No,” they chorused.

“Fine.” But there wasn’t any bitterness in her voice.


	3. Chapter 3

Weiss stood next to the bed in what was now ‘her’ room. A few hours of shopping (which Blake had insisted on paying for) had yielded the duvet and sheets in ice blue and white on the bed. Clothes from her apartment were neatly folded in the drawers and hanging in the closets, and Myrtenaster sat in its rack on top of the desk, the accessories and maintenance tools arrayed neatly around it. All in all, a space that was declared to be hers, filled with her things.

And yet it didn’t _feel_ like hers, like home.

With a sigh, Weiss ran her fingers down Myrtenaster’s blade before turning and picking up the framed photograph that sat on the nightstand. The three of them were sitting on a bench at a carnival, making funny faces as they hammed it up for the camera. Yang had her jacket off and was making a muscle pose, Blake was doing an impression of a hissing cat, and even Weiss had gotten into the spirit, sticking out her tongue and making rabbit ears behind the two of them. She smiled as she remembered that day. The carnival operators had been concerned about reports of Grimm activity in the area and had been willing to give them free rein of the carnival on top of their normal pay. No Grimm had attacked so they’d spent the day playing the games, riding the rides, and stuffing themselves on the concessions, just the three of them, together. Yesterday Blake had insisted on making two copies of the photo, one for their bedroom and one for Weiss’s. “That way we’re always with you and you’re always with us.” It had been one of the most wonderful days of her life.

It was also the day she realized she was desperately in love with two of her best friends. And the day she’d sworn never to do anything to destroy their happiness or come between them.

And that had turned out wonderfully, hadn’t it? She flopped back on the bed, still clutching the picture in one hand. Was she okay with this? Blake and Yang were both doing everything to make her feel welcome, but Weiss couldn't shake the nagging guilt she felt about everything. What was she doing to make this work? Was it enough? Was she holding up her end of things? She didn’t know, and that not-knowing gnawed at her, a roiling knot of doubt lodged in her chest, squeezing her heart and trying to smother the unimaginable happiness she could feel growing with every heartbeat.

“Settling in, princess?” Yang leaned up against the doorframe, her arms crossed. Somehow her tone and the look on her face made the hated nickname into a term of endearment.

Weiss propped herself up on one elbow, not quite ready to get up yet. Yang’s outfit was about five notches nicer than the blonde brawler usually sported, with black slacks and a daffodil yellow blouse. Her sleeves were rolled up too so that Weiss could see that she was wearing her oldest arm, the one that still bore the scratch marks from the day she and Blake had finally put an end to the monster that was Adam Taurus. Yang was even wearing some tastefully understated jewelry and possibly just a hint of makeup, though Weiss would have to get closer to be sure about that last point. All in all, Yang was looking decidedly delicious. Not that Weiss imagined that Yang was on her menu tonight. Or even tempted. Not in the slightest. Although Weiss supposed she was allowed to be tempted, given their new arrangement. If she wanted to be. Which Weiss absolutely was not. She cleared her throat. “You look very nice, Yang. I’m sure you and Blake will have a lovely time.”

“Not what I was thinking.” Yang scratched the back of her neck, her thoughts scattering now that she was face-to-face with Weiss. “Blake and I were talking while you were setting up your room and, um, we got to talking about dates and stuff. I mean, me and Blake go out all the time, but now we’re adding you to the mix, so...” She trailed off, realizing she was starting to babble.

Weiss’s brow furrowed in confusion as she sat up. “Are you trying to ask me out on a date, Yang?”

Yang laughed nervously. “Kinda, yeah.”

“May I ask what brought this on, so suddenly?”

Yang slumped, not sure how to continue. “It’s just… Blake and I were talking about ways to, you know, make you more of a part of us. And Blake pointed out that you and her were doing date-ish things before. You know, like your Saturday meetups at that cafe, or all those times you went to dinner and a museum or art show or something like that. But you and I didn’t do that kind of thing. When it’s you and me doing something, we’re usually here, just hanging out. Which is totally fine, I love hanging out, maybe add some cuddling since, you know, but… I think maybe the two of us should do date stuff out of the house too.”

“Make things more balanced, between the three of us?”

“Yeah, maybe, I don’t know.” The blonde grimaced. Okay, this had been a bad idea. Weiss’s tone was waay to clinical about this. “You know what, never-mind, forget about it.”

Weiss hopped up off the bed, taking quick steps over to stand in front of Yang, her hands on her hips. “Yang Xiao Long, there are a couple of points you need to consider. Yes, you and I spending more time together in a romantic sense is a good idea. Or me and Blake, or all three of us for that matter. But the relationship between the three of us doesn’t have to be perfectly symmetrical. As much as I hate to say this, the amount of time each of us spends with the others and what we do together is something we’ll have to work out ‘by feel’ has to be allowed to vary. Don’t you dare try and tell me what you and Blake do together hasn’t changed over time because I know that’s a lie.”

“She’s got you there,” came Blake’s voice from the living room, making Weiss frown. Well, maybe Blake hearing this wasn’t a bad thing.

“Now,” Weiss continued, smiling at Yang in hopes it would make the blonde less uneasy, “was there something you wanted to ask me?”

Yang took a deep breath and conjured up a smile to match Weiss’s. Dammit, why did her brain always stall out when she was trying to flirt or be romantic? “Uh, yeah. Weiss, do you want to go out to dinner, maybe some dancing? There’s a new place nearby that’s supposed to be doing all sort of fancy dancing, and I’ve been dying to go, but Blake...”

“Blake really isn’t one for dancing,” Weiss finished, tilting her head to one side as she considered Yang carefully.

There were a couple of things most people didn’t know about Yang Xiao Long. One of them was that she was allergic to pineapple, something that had come on in her teen years and annoyed Yang greatly. The other was that she really loved to dance. And not just the sort of dancing you did in a nightclub. Tangos, waltzes, tap dancing, line dancing, just about any sort of dancing that wasn’t done as a performance. Yang wanted to be doing the dancing, not watching others dance. “I… might be interested. What type of dancing did you have in mind, Yang?”

“Well…” Yang scratched the back of her neck again, looking sheepish. And absolutely adorable, Weiss couldn’t help but admit to herself. “What I heard was they’re going to switch out a lot. Right now they’ve got Atlas waltzes, that Vacuo whirling thing I can’t never pronounce right-”

“ _Hazurch,”_ Weiss interjected.

“Yeah, that. But they’ve also got Mistrali _leiturn_ , and I’ve always wanted to try that one.”

Weiss frowned in thought, thinking Yang’s proposal over carefully. “Alright, Yang, we can go out on a d-d-” Weiss stopped and took a deep breath. “A date, provided Blake has no objections.”

“If I had any, you’d be hearing them already,” Blake tossed in from the couch. “No keeping things that bother you to yourself, right? That’s what we said. Besides, I just got a message from Ilia. She’s in town tonight and wants to hang out.”

* * *

Yang heard the door to Weiss’s room open up and looked up, determined to dispel whatever doubts Weiss might have with a stunning smile. “Ready to go, b-” The blonde trailed off as she got a good look at Weiss’s outfit. Weiss’s dress started out midnight blue at her shoulders, fading to ice blue by the time it reached the ruffled ankle-length skirt. Two amber earrings and an onyx choker accented the outfit, and a quick glance at Weiss’s feet showed that she’d swapped her normal wedges for flats. “Yowza,” was all Yang could say, her mouth gaping open.

Weiss looked away in embarrassment, a flush of red coloring her pale cheeks. “If, if it’s too much...”

A laugh heralded Blake leaning out of the other bedroom door, then double-taking as she saw Weiss’s outfit and Yang’s reaction. “No, I’d say that’s just about right. And in the spirit of speaking up, you’d better dress like that for _our_ first date.”

“I-I assure you that I will dress appropriately for the occasion,” Weiss stammered in embarrassment. After they’d learned she was a Faunus, Blake had always been rather… casual about nudity, but seeing Blake topless just now had made Weiss flustered. But it was alright if Weiss saw her like that now, wasn’t it? “Shall we go, Yang?” Yang just grinned and tucked her arm into Weiss’s, leading the way toward the front door.

* * *

Yang noticed Weiss shivering as they stepped out the front door of their apartment building. Since Yang had taken the last of the trash to the dumpster earlier, the wind had gotten stronger and colder, taking on a bitter, biting air that Yang could feel despite the warmth her semblance always granted. Without really thinking about it, Yang slipped her arm out of Weiss’s, wrapping it around her new girlfriend’s waist and pulling her close instead. “My own personal space heater,” Weiss said, grateful for the warmth.

Yang grinned. “Don’t worry about snuggling in close if you’re cold; Blake does it all the time.” She suddenly had the mental image of herself shambling down the sidewalk, one girlfriend clinging to each side, desperate for warmth. The idea made her laugh.

“I’m… I’m just not used to this, that’s all.” Weiss sounded anxious; she’d always been more worried about appearances than almost anyone else Yang knew. She could almost feel Weiss’s eyes glancing nervously from one person looking at them to another, watching them for signs that they knew the pair’s secret and were condemning them for daring to love differently than the norm. Well, to hell with that noise. Time to double down on the reassuring.

“What, someone showing how they feel about you in public?” Or at all, really. Yang had been to dinner at the Schnee manor a few times since Jacques Schnee’s arrest, and even with him gone, it was kind of obvious that there wasn’t a lot of love being shown. Willow was doing her best to mend her broken family, but Yang couldn't help but wonder if it was too late. “I’d get used to it if I was you. I’m a hugger, but I’m pretty sure already you knew that, and Blake, well, don’t tell her I told you this, but she’s a snuggle addict.” Yang dropped her voice to whisper to Weiss, “And if last night’s an example, I think Blake has it right and you’re kind of a cuddle bug yourself.”

“But-”

“But me no buts. Tell you what,” Yang tilted her head, resting it on top of Weiss’s. Probably get a crick in her neck, but it was gonna be worth it. “Give me a list, an itemized list, of people outside of the three of us whose opinion about this really and truly matters to you. Keep it short, ten people max. And I’m gonna hold you to the first ten names out of your mouth.”

“Fine. Your father.”

“One. I wouldn’t worry too much about him, though. He didn’t even blink an eye when I brought Blake home and set her stuff in my old room with mine.”

“Blake’s parents.”

“Two and three, and probably not a problem either. Her dad’s not gonna like you at first, but he’ll come around, you wait and see.”

“Winter and Ruby.”

“Four, five, still alive. My sister is gonna spaz, then obsess over getting you the perfect Midwinter’s gift to ‘welcome you to the family’ properly. Probably need to tell her soon. Your sister though...” Yang frowned. This was going to be sticky. “I’ll be honest; I’m not sure what her reaction will be. You got a guess?”

Yang felt the shoulder tucked against her twitch in what she assumed was a shrug. “I’m not sure either. Since she became the Winter Maiden, she’s been… distant. I’m not sure if that’s the maiden’s powers affecting her, stress from her responsibilities, or Winter just being Winter. One thing worries me, though.” Weiss’s voice took on a firm tone. “Winter will want to be absolutely satisfied that I am happy and comfortable with our… arrangement. Which means I’ll need to either squash my uncertainties rather thoroughly or not let them show in front of her.”

Yang guided Weiss around a man who was stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk, muttering angrily to someone on his scroll. “Don’t worry; Blake and I are going to be doing our double-damned best to make you feel at home. And don’t be afraid to speak up, either. Speak instead of waiting to be spoken to, isn’t that what those blogs kept saying?” Yang felt herself grinning like a lunatic again. Always a good sign. “So who’s next on the list?”

“My mother, I suppose.” Weiss sighed heavily. “With my father in probably in prison until the next ice age ends, she’s rather overwhelmed trying to undo the damage my father did while he was running the company. But once she gets over her surprise, she shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Her biggest concerns are going to be my safety and happiness.”

“Okay, she makes six, and I don’t hear any problems we can’t solve by just being us and working things out. So who’s next?”

“Jaune?”

“Jaune? Why him? Oh.” Standing in front of them was the blonde leader of Team JNR, apparently caught in mid-conversation with a large Faunus man. “Hey, Jaune, what’s up?”

“Oh, um, just talking to Krait here.” Jaune’s eyes looked the two of them over, noticing that they had their arms around each other. “Hey, um, it’s probably none of my business, but what are you two doing?”

“Uh...” Before Yang could say any more, Weiss snapped, “What does it look like? We’re on a date. Idiot.” Well, okay, they probably needed to tell some of their friends sooner or later, but Weiss probably could have handled that with something at least resembling tact.

“One, I kinda saved your life once, so I’d lay off the insults, Weiss.” Jaune crossed his arms, scowling at the two of them. “And two, _what the hell, Yang?_ I didn’t figure you for the type to go around cheating on Blake, but I guess I was wrong.”

Said blonde slapped herself on the forehead. She damn well knew she could hear Weiss rolling her eyes. “Tell you what, call Blake. She knows we’re on a date together. In fact, Weiss is me and Blake’s new girlfriend. She moved in with us today.”

“Say what?!?” Jaune yelped, surprised.

Krait just laughed. “From the way they’re both glaring at us, I wouldn’t call their bluff, not if we want to live. Sorry, my name’s Krait, and I’m sort of an old friend of Blake’s from, uh,” his voice got quiet, _“you know when.”_

“I got it, another friend of Ilia’s, right?” Krait nodded with a tight-lipped smile, making him another former White Fang member looking to use their combat training for something more peaceful.

“Yup, he’s here for the accelerated Huntsman training program. Ilia introduced him to me this afternoon. Thinks he might be a good fit for us, with Oscar being, uh, unavailable these days.” Jaune faltered at the end, not sure how to describe Oscar’s current state in front of Krait.

Now Yang was shivering. The last year or so, Oscar had been getting kind of weird. It had gotten damn near impossible to tell whether you were talking to him or the several-millennia-old ghost in his head. Ozma had sworn he’d do whatever he could to slow the process, give Oscar as much of a life as possible, but it was obvious to anyone who knew him that it wouldn’t be much longer before the two were inseparably merged.

Weiss’s voice almost made her jump. “Well, I hope Krait proves to be a suitable teammate for you, once he’s completed his training. Salem’s pushing the Grimm at us more than ever now, and we need all the help we can get.” She cleared her throat. “And I’m sorry for snapping at you, Jaune. We… planned on telling all our friends, eventually, it’s just… We only made this ‘official’ yesterday, and I was hoping to have more time to ourselves before spreading the word.”

“As long as Blake’s cool with this, I got no problems. She’s my friend too.” Jaune grinned. “As long as Nora gets to throw you guys some sort of party. Anything to get her out of our hair.”

Yang laughed. “She’s what, five months along now?”

“Six, and driving me and Ren crazy with all the nesting. Well, I think she’s driving Ren nuts, but you know how he is.” Jaune shrugged. “Anyway, I’ll let you two get back to, um, whatever you were planning on doing on your… date.”

After Jaune and Krait had left, Yang glanced over her shoulder at them and sighed. “Bets on him checking with Blake?”

“No bet, but he’ll try and be subtle with it and fail miserably. He’s a good fighter and tactician, but he’s still a bigger dolt than your sister,” Weiss answered, matching Yang’s sigh with one of her own.

Thankfully the increasingly chilly weather was keeping most people off the streets, and it wasn’t long before they reached the restaurant. “I think you’ll like this place, Weiss. It’s me and Blake’s favorite place to eat. Well, she loves the seafood and I like that she can get good seafood and I can get something else to eat. They even do Atlas food, including something called ‘razor crab.’ I dunno much about it other than Blake loves it and it’s kinda expensive.”

Weiss couldn't help but roll her eyes at Yang’s nervous babbling. “Razor crab is an Atlesian delicacy. The cost is mostly due to the difficulty of harvesting the crabs from deep water and transporting them alive. To get to the point, don’t eat razor crab if it was dead more than half an hour before it reaches your plate.”

“We keep ours alive in a tank right where our customers can see them, thank you very much,” an annoyed voice came from around the corner. A Faunus woman with bear ears and a prosthetic arm came around the corner, hands on her hips. “You can even pick which one you want. Sorry, I was showing a customer to a table. Oh, hi, Yang, just you tonight? Where’s your other half?” Bear-girl’s eyes narrowed at Weiss, noticing how the two of them had their arms around each other. “Who’s this? Cheating on Blake, I’m disappointed, in you, Yang. Don’t expect me to cover for you. If I had Blake’s number, I’d be calling her right now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Weiss snapped, making Yang groan. “Mindy, I’m not cheating on Blake. This is Weiss, me and Blake’s new girlfriend. We’ve known her for years and just kinda figured out she was part of us so we made it official. Get used to seeing us with her, okay? And you,” she poked Weiss hard in the ribs, “Be. Nice. Mindy’s a friend and we’ve known her for years. Even if this really isn’t her business.”

Weiss suppressed the urge to rub the sore spot where Yang had jabbed her and instead put on her best ‘company smile.’ “I apologize, Mindy. Blake and Yang… just invited me to join their relationship and you’re the second person we’ve run into since we left the apartment that has… thought something inappropriate was going on.”

Mindy blinked, confused. “Wait, so Blake and Yang asked you to, um, date both of them? At the same time?” She shook her head, doing her best to put on a friendly smile. “Um, okay, if Blake’s okay with it, that’s fine by me. Let me show you to a table.”

“You know she’s still going to ‘rat us out’ to Blake as soon as she gets the chance, don’t you? She doesn’t strike me as the type to let this go,” Weiss whispered after Mindy had taken their drink orders and left.

“Yeah, I think Blake’s are going to have to make an appearance soon, so she can get it out of her system.” Yang chewed her lip as she scanned the menu on her scroll. It was always changing so they didn’t bother with paper menus and just kept it on their website. “Mindy’s not usually this bad, she’s just a real romantic. Probably figures you for a sign that me and Blake are done.”

“Well in a way, you are,” Weiss said quietly, not looking at Yang.

“Say what?” Yang blinked, her violet eyes fixing on Weiss.

“No matter what happens with the three of us, what there was between you and Blake is changed forever. I… didn’t want to take that from you.”

Yang’s reached out and laid a hand on top of Weiss’s. “Stop that. You didn’t take it from us, we gave it to you, because we.. love you, both of us.” She tapped on her scroll for a minute, turning it around so Weiss could see. “See this?” Weiss nodded. That morning, Yang had insisted on a picture of the three of them, lounging on the couch. “I’ll tell you something. Today was… today was a wonderful day. You, you bring us closer together. And it doesn’t matter what Mindy thinks, or Jaune, or even our parents. What matters is us, our hearts.”

“I...” Weiss was fighting back tears, not wanting to ruin her makeup. She’d put a not-insignificant amount of effort into looking good for Yang tonight. “I’m not used to being this happy,” she admitted. “I don’t know how to handle it.”

“You’ll learn.”Yang’s smile was warm and welcoming, the same smile she’d given Weiss when they reunited with the others in Mistral years ago. “And when it gets to be too much, just let us know you need a breather. But not too often, okay?”

The white-haired young woman nodded and sniffled, not knowing what else to say. Mindy returned, sliding their drinks in front of them. “Is she okay?” she whispered to Yang, giving Weiss a worried look.

“She will be, I hope. We, uh, Blake and me only asked her to be our girlfriend yesterday and, um, this is her first date with one of us.” Yang took her eyes off Weiss to look over the menu, chewing on her lower lip as she searched for the words to save the conversation “So, um this razor crab, is it worth all the hype? Or is it one of those things that’s expensive just because it’s a bitch to get”

“Properly prepared, it’s delicious, and I’ll admit, I hadn’t expected to find it this far from Atlas.” Weiss sat up straight and looked at Mindy. “The owner must have excellent connections. Do you serve it Atlas or Mantle style?”

Mindy beamed, pleased by the question. “We can prepare it either way, although Mantle style does take longer because our chef’s very old-school about it. In either case, we suggest pairing it with a Mistral ale that really brings out the flavor.”

Yang watched with growing satisfaction as Weiss and Mindy discussed the particulars of how the razor crab was prepared and what was served with it. Finally, Weiss was satisfied, although she declined to choose the crab herself, leaving it to the chef’s discretion. Mindy turned to Yang. “So, you going to order food or just eat the menu? If it’s the menu, we’ve got some Vacuo hot sauce that’ll make sure you never make that mistake again.”

“Okay, you got me, I’m not sure what I want tonight,” Yang admitted with a laugh. “Got a suggestion?”

“Well,” Mindy glanced from one to the other, “depending on how adventurous you’re feeling tonight, you might try the razor crab with her. But since she’s having it Mantle style, well, you might wish you’d had the menu with hot sauce instead.”

That settled it. Yang agreed, and Mindy headed off, shaking her head. “I didn’t realize you were so fussy about food,” Yang said with a grin, leaning forward.

“And how many times have we eaten together where I had the option of being ‘fussy’ about my food?” Weiss tossed back with a shrug. “Most of the time the options have been eating what was put in front of us or be hungry. And I will admit I was… testing her, and the cook, just a little.”

“Yeah, well, I think you won the round,” Yang answered distractedly, watching as a burly man pushed a cart with two small tanks on it up to the larger tank in the middle of the dining room. She did a double-take when she saw what he pulled out on the end of his spear. _“That’s_ a razor crab? It’s not some sort of Grimm, is it?”

“Razor crabs are predators, Yang,” Weiss said, sipping her ale and trying not to laugh at her... date. Yang just shook her head and sat back in her seat, wondering what she’d gotten herself into on multiple levels.

This was a… different side of Weiss than she’d seen the past couple of years. When they’d first met at Beacon, Weiss had been a stuck-up rich bitch straight from central casting. Then she’d thawed, showing a side of herself that was still reserved but at the same time committed to her friends, to the family she’d made instead of the one she’d been born to.

And then she’d started to shut down again, to pull back from Yang and Blake at least. Was that when Weiss had realized she was in love with the two of them? If she’d only said… But that was also when Blake and Yang had started to really commit to each other, starting with moving in together. They’d gotten so lost in each other, they hadn’t noticed… “So much time lost,” Yang mused, not even aware she’d spoken out loud until Weiss answered her.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It means…” Yang took an appreciative sip of her ale, cursing her mouth for spitting something out before she’d finished thinking it through yet again. “I wish we’d realized how much we all meant to each other sooner, that’s what it means. I mean, Blake and I were happy together but something always seemed to be missing or off somehow. But having you with us, it just seems like the best idea I’ve ever had.”

“Mm. Well, I’d go easy on that ale, or do did you forget how long of a wait Mindy said we’d have?” Yang nodded and set her drink back down, folding her hands in front of her and settling in for a hopefully not _too_ awkward conversation while they waited.

Which turned out not to be awkward at all. They started out laughing at they day they’d all met at Beacon, wandered through the dark times when Team RWBY had been wanted across Remnant, and circled back around to the second battle of Atlas and Mantle. “I still remember,” Yang said, trying not to die laughing, “you telling that stuck-up asshole that you’d take him more seriously if his ‘wife’ wasn’t the same age as your _baby_ brother. How is Shitley doing anyway?”

Weiss sat there, blinking for a long moment, but before Yang could get out an apology, she started laughing. “Oh-oh my,” she said, wiping away tears of laughter. “I have got to share that one with Winter when I see her. How did I miss that?” She cleared her throat. “My idiot brother is still working on ‘saving the company from the damage my mother is doing and restoring our father’s good name,’ to use his words.” She shook her head regretfully as she looked over Yang’s shoulder. “There’s little chance of him ever seizing control from mother, of course. She hasn’t managed to quite undo _all_ of the damage my father did to our family’s reputation, but making a tidy profit on top of all the humanitarian and rebuilding work without being called a profiteer too often is an achievement by itself. And I think our meal is here.”

What was set in front of Yang was… not what she’d been expecting. Chunks of gray-green meat and mixed vegetables in a red sauce sat on a bed of pasta. Weiss leaned forward, gave an appreciative sniff, and smiled at Mindy. “This does smell divine. Thank you.”

Yang leaned forward for a sniff of her own, only to gag as her eyes and nose started to water. “Oh, um, wow, that smells good.”

Mindy laughed as Weiss waggled a finger at Yang. “We tried to warn you. Razor crab is a very… flavorful meat. I’m guessing Blake takes hers Atlas style, which is spiced to offset its flavor. Mantle style accentuates the flavor.” With an air of absolute innocence, Weiss took her fork and speared one of the larger pieces of meat, chewing slowly. “Having second thoughts, Yang?”

And third, and fourth, but… “I ordered it, I’m eating it.”

It was most of an hour later before Yang admitted defeat. “Okay, Ice Queen, you got me,” the blonde said regretfully, pushing the last few pieces around on her plate with her fork. “I didn’t know you liked spicy food like that.”

“One, never refer to me by that nickname again or you’re sleeping alone for a week – and I will enlist Blake in enforcing that – and two, you can blame my father for my fondness for spicy foods,” Weiss said, balling her fists on the table. “He liked everything so bland, it became my first act of rebellion to have specially-prepared spicy meals by myself.”

Okay, accidental reminder of Weiss’s dad, bad Yangy, time to defuse. “So that spiciness… does it stop at the dinner table, or does it carry into the bedroom?”

The timing was accidentally flawless. Weiss had just unclenched her fists and taken a sip of her ale when Yang’s words sank in. She sputtered for a moment before recovering with “Y-you’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you?”Yang just licked her finger and made an imaginary tally mark in the air with a smile. Weiss nodded and lifted her glass in acknowledgment of Yang having gotten her back.

Thankfully the wind had died down while they were eating, although Weiss was still grateful for her personal heater-windbreak on the walk to the dance hall. From the look of the building, someone had taken the bottom floor of a skyscraper and knocked out most of the interior walls. Some of the offices on the upper floors still had lights on, signs that someone was still burning the midnight oil. “The rent on this must be obscene,” Weiss said in a hushed voice as they glanced around, looking for whoever was in charge.

Laughter from behind a counter drew their attention. An older man with a dancer’s build stood up and smiled at them. “It’s a lot nicer than you’d think, since I bought the building. The rent on the rest of the floors more than covers the upkeep and loan. I’m your host, Verde. And what brings two such lovely ladies to my humble dance hall?”

Yang cleared her throat. “We, um, that is I heard that you’re going to be teaching all sorts of different dances, and right now the flavor of the month is Mistrali _leiturn.”_

Verde’s already broad smile became positively beaming. “A personal favorite of mine and you both seem to have the legs for it. If you don’t mind an old dancer like me saying so. If you’ll please wait in hall number three, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

True to his word, it wasn’t more than five minutes before Verde was in there, corralling the dozen or so people and breaking them up into pairs for dancing. He gave Weiss and Yang a critical eye. “Do you mind if I pair the two of you up with other people? It’ll be easier given your height difference.”

Weiss beat Yang to the punch. “Thank you, no, we’re on a date after all.”

That made Verde wince. “I’m sorry, I should have realized, given how comfortable you two are with each other. Actually, do the two of you dance together often? There are some tricks I can show you to compensate for the height difference.”

Yang snorted. “Maybe you could teach Blake to dance while you’re at it.”

“Blake?” Verde looked puzzled.

“Our other girlfriend,” Weiss said with a smile. “She’s… not much of a dancer.”

“Ah, I see. Actually, if I may be permitted to dip into the more obscure parts of my repertoire, I know some three-person dances that might suit the three of you. Usually, they’re for when two people are competing for the affections of a third, but in your case…” He shrugged. “Come, let us begin.”

Step, step, slide, twirl. Twirl, dip, slide, twirl. It wasn’t long before they had the steps of _leiturn_ down. Or at least down well enough to please Verde. Finally, they had to stop and take a breather. Yang brought Weiss a cup of water. “So, you want to come back here on our next date?”

Weiss nodded, sipping the water. “Aren’t you being a little presumptuous, thinking you’re going to get a second date?” Yang coughed, choking on her own water and pounding herself on her chest. Weiss just lifted her water cup to Yang in a mock toast. “Relax, Yang; I think it’s safe to say that this is something you and I can enjoy just by ourselves.”

“Great!” Yang reached out an arm, wrapping it around Weiss’s shoulders and pulling her close. “I’m glad you’re having fun, Weiss. Tonight… tonight I wanted to show you how much I care about you, really care. Which sounds kinda weird saying it out loud because well, we just made things official yesterday. But anything worth doing is worth overdoing, right?”

“I suppose,” Weiss murmured. Then, before her better judgment could catch up with her, Weiss turned her head and kissed Yang on the cheek.

“Missed the mark there, princess, but, um, anything in particular bring that on?”

Weiss blushed and looked away. “That was for suggesting our new arrangement, making me feel welcome, and cleaning out my room, all by yourself.”

Now it was Yang’s turn to look away, her own cheeks turning red. “Least I could do for my new girl, right? So, um, more dancing or you ready to call it a night?”

Weiss stood and held out a hand to Yang. “Why would I want to stop? I have one of the most beautiful women in Vale as my dance partner.”

Sometime after midnight, they wandered back toward their apartment, arms wrapped around each other for warmth and companionship, the bond between them strengthened by spicy food and sore feet. “Ooh, I hope Blake hasn’t already gone to bed,” Yang moaned. “She does the most divine foot rubs.”

“Now there you’ve made a mistake, Miss Yang Xiao Long,” Weiss laughed. “Having revealed the secret, you’ve got competition for her attentions.”

Yang laughed. Okay, there’d been a couple of rough spots, but the night had been damn near perfect if she did say so herself. Even the weather was finally cooperating, having calmed down to a light flurry wafted about by an even lighter breeze in the crisp, clear air. Yeah, it was a good omen. “Hey, Weiss?”

“Yes, Yang?”

“I’m sorry about all those times I called you ‘Ice Queen.’”

“And I’m sorry about all the times I called you a dumb, blonde brute.”

Yang laughed and gave Weiss a kiss on her temple. “You know, I never in a million years would have thought we’d end up like this, but here we are.”

Weiss caught herself looking up at Yang, mesmerized by the blonde’s wide, happy smile that went all the way up to her eyes. Without even thinking about it, Weiss stood up on her tiptoes and found herself kissing Yang.

Yang stood there surprised, lilac eyes staring down into Weiss’s pale blue orbs in surprise. She clamped down firmly on the impulse to lick her lips and instead said, “Yowza. I could get used to that.”

“I-I’m sorry, Yang, I shouldn’t have-”

“Don’t be.” Yang reached out and took Weiss’s hands. “Figured it was gonna happen, sooner or later. Just didn’t figure on tonight being the night, you know? Come on, let’s get home.”

It was dark when they entered the apartment. “Guess neither of us is getting one of those foot rubs, huh?” Yang said softly.

“It’s well after midnight, Yang,” Weiss answered, not looking at Yang. Very bad ideas, or at least decidedly premature ones, were circling in her mind. A motion from the living room thankfully broke her train of thought, and what she saw made her take a deep breath. “What-”

Blake was wrapped up on the couch in a blanket, whimpering in her sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sorry.


	4. Chapter 4

Before she could really think about it, Weiss found herself crouching next to where Blake lay on the couch. “Blake? Are you alright?” she asked, running a hand along Blake’s face, brushing a stray hair out of the way.

Amber eyes fluttered open, clearly aware of Weiss’s presence but not fully focused on her. “Weiss? Cha doin’ here, supposed ta be out dancin’.’ With, with Yang. Bein’ hap-hap-happy.” She swayed as she started to sit up, looking rather queasy.

Yang gave a nervous chuckle as she stood behind Weiss. “Dance hall closed, babe. It’s after midnight.”

“Oh.” Blake’s head bobbed, looking up and down at the two off them. “Did, did you get cloned or something? Cuz there’s three of you. I know! It’s time travel. Did they tell you how to, to beat Salem?”

“No time travel or clones, Blake,” Weiss answered, trying to fix her face on friendly and concerned. “You’ve just been drinking.” But Blake wasn’t normally one to drink alone at home, or get anywhere near this wasted. “Did something happen?” A cold fire roared in Weiss’ belly, its flames licking at her heart. If someone had hurt Blake, or even been rude to her, they were going to pay.

“Called me a bitch,” Blake muttered, head dropping down. “Ana, ana whore. Bess, bess fran, thought she’d unnerstan. Bout us.”

Yang groaned as she picked up the bottle from the coffee table, trying to gauge how much Blake had drunk and not liking the answer she came up with. “Shit. I think I know what happened. Come on, let’s get her to bed.”

Weiss slung one of Blake’s arms over her shoulders, grunting as she stood under the weight. The cat-eared woman tried to stand, but her legs buckled almost immediately. “Care to enlighten me, then? Or am I going to have to beat it out of you? Because whoever upset her like this is going to pay.”

“It was probably Ilia.” Yang grimaced as she got under Blake’s other arm, taking more of the weight than she’d let Weiss know. Pride and all. “Listen, I’m gonna tell you something you don’t repeat. Like, ever, this side of the grave. Ilia, she’s kind of got a thing for Blake, has since before Blake left the White Fang. She’s tried to move on, find someone else, but… when Blake and I told her about us being together, Ilia massively lost her shit. Started a fight in the middle of a restaurant. So if Blake told her about you joining us...”

“I see.” Weiss’s tone was clipped as she used a foot to push the door to Blake and Yang’s bedroom open wider. “Well, there goes my idea of revenge great and terrible. Pity. This will require a more… subtle approach.”

“Nah, let her cool off for a while first, then we’ll all talk to her,” Yang answered, shaking her head. “Pretty sure she’ll be cool with it, eventually. Get the blanket, will you? I’ve got her.”

They took off Blake’s boots and laid her on the bed, tucking her under the blankets. As Yang was getting changed for bed, a quiet knock came at the door. “Come on in, Weiss,” she answered, rummaging around in her dresser drawer.

“I thought-” Weiss started, then cleared her throat and looked away. “I’m sorry, I should have realized you were getting dressed.”

Yang started to laugh, then stopped. It didn’t bother Yang if Weiss saw her naked, but it obviously bothered Weiss. Time to slow things down a bit. “Nah, I’m the one that should be sorry. One sec.” She rummaged in her drawer and pulled on one of her favorite tank tops. “Okay, I’m decent.”

Weiss nodded and looked at Blake’s sleeping form. “Would it… would it be okay if I joined the two of you tonight? Just for sleep. I want… I want to be there for Blake, even if she doesn’t know it. I want her to wake up knowing that she is loved, how much we both love her.”

Yang’s smile was probably visible from the moon. “I got no problems with that, babe.” She blinked. “Probably shouldn’t get in the habit of calling you that, that’s what I call Blake and I don’t want you two getting confused.”

“Pet names… are something that will come to us, I suppose.” Weiss gestured toward the bed. “After you.”

As Yang spoke, Weiss’s voice came from the other side of Blake. “If either of you tries calling me ‘princess’ I will literally murder you.”

“I’ll try to remember that,” Yang muttered sleepily.

* * *

For some, waking up is a quick process. They just wake up and open their eyes, instantly ready to face the day. Or at least mostly so. Blake had never been one of those people. Given the choice, she preferred to lounge in bed, coming to herself at her own pace. Whenever she had to be awake at a specific time, she’d always set her alarm half an hour earlier than she thought she needed to get ready to give her that lounging time before facing the world.

Today… she needed extra lounging time. Her first fragment of thought was wondering what she’d done to piss off whoever was hitting her in the head with sledgehammers. Even with her eyes closed and the curtains drawn, the light in the room was sending needles of pain lancing into her skull. Thankfully, the room was quiet, the only sound her own breathing and those of the person lying next to her, their arms wrapped around her.

Arms… The arms wrapped around her didn’t have Yang’s embracing strength that always made her feel so safe and welcome. Instead, they were slimmer and more lithe, not making Blake feel less safe for some reason, just… different.

They laid there like that for a while, Blake just letting the world creep upon her at its own pace, enjoying the sensations of the other person’s arms wrapped around her, their scent. Finally, the scent tickled a memory, and awareness of who the other person was slipped slowly and quietly into her mind, not announcing itself but just there without her realizing it. “Weiss?”

“I’m sorry.” Blake could feel Weiss tensing up when she spoke. “You probably expected Yang, but… neither one of us wanted you waking up alone, and Yang got up first.”

“So stayed with me.” Blake slid a hand over Weiss’s where it was wrapped around her. “Thank you.”

The silence settled between the two of them again, saying more than words could have right now. Finally, Weiss spoke. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“From what you said last night… Yang told me about Ilia, how she feels about you.” A sigh rustled Blake’s hair. “It sounds like you told her about us, and she didn’t take it well. What happened last night is my fault.”

“Bullshit.” The blunt curse spat from Blake’s lips, not quite shattering the calm. “Yes, I told Ilia and she, she just, I don’t want to think about it right now. But that’s on her, not you.”

“But-”

Blake squirmed around, pushing Weiss on her back and straddling her. She looked down the person who’d just two days ago gone from best friend to girlfriend and smiled. “Listen to me, Weiss Schnee. Yes, Ilia’s an old friend, but last night, she did something I can’t forgive, at least not yet. And you, you, you get this.” Blake leaned down, catching Weiss by surprise and giving her a gentle kiss that caught Weiss by surprise. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize it sooner, but Yang is right: I love you, Weiss.”

Weiss reached up a hand to touch Blake’s face. “I, um, I kissed Yang last night,” she blurted out, surprising herself.

That made Blake laugh and shake her head. “It’s not a competition or a checklist, Weiss. What happens between you and me, or you and her, or between all three of us, happens when it happens when we’re ready. Waking up next to you today was wonderful, just like waking up next to Yang is. Or even when all three of us woke up on the couch together.”

“But-”

“It might have been Yang’s idea, but we chose you, Weiss. We. Chose. You,” the cat-eared woman said, punctuating her words by tapping Weiss on the nose. “I remember you saying you were going to leave us, go back to Atlas, but that would have been a disaster. This, having you here, with us, part of us feels right in a way I don’t want to try and put into words because it would be like mounting a butterfly in a collection. Love is like that, sometimes.”

They sat there like that, a moment that turned into an eternity, until something on the edge of awareness made them both look up to see one lilac eye peering in at them. “Sorry,” Yang said, her whole face coming into view. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You’re not,” Weiss answered with a smile as Blake got off her, blushing. “I was just feeling guilty about us, about last night, and Blake was reassuring me.”

“Yeah, we’re working out things, it’s a process, I guess.” Yang walked over to stand by the bed, her arms stretching over her head. “Came in to check on Blake and tell you two that breakfast is ready. And, um, there’s something we need to talk about.”

Yang refused to say another word until the three of them were seated around their new circular dining table. Blake wasn’t sure what had happened to the old table. Probably banished to the storage unit along with the former contents of what was now Weiss’s room. Yang had kept things simple this morning, pancakes, sausage, and eggs cooked for each of them the way the liked them. Finally, the blonde spoke. “Dad called while I was fixing breakfast.”

Weiss stopped in the middle of taking a sip of her coffee, instead setting the cup down and reaching out to take Yang’s hand. “You don’t sound like it was a happy call.”

“He, uh, he asked if we were still coming to visit.”

Blake frowned. “Damn. I forgot we heading over there today.”

Weiss just shrugged and took a bite of her breakfast. “Nothing to worry about, then. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

“That’s just the thing.” Yang reached laid a hand on Weiss’s arm. “I think you should come with us. I mean, we’ve got to tell my dad eventually, right? And, um, I didn’t mention this to Blake before, but last time we visited, he asked if Blake and I had made any long-term plans. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you feeling pressured or anything, babe. Sorry.”

Weiss smiled. Yang was cute when she was flustered. “If you don’t think I’d be intruding…”

* * *

Blake stopped a few steps from their rented car, grateful for the earmuffs Weiss had given her for Midwinter last year. Then she smiled and looked behind her as she realized what, or rather _who_ had brought her to a halt.

Weiss stood a few steps behind her and Yang, looking up at Taiyang’s home. Yang grinned and tilted her head toward the front porch. “Come on, Weiss. You’ve been here before.”

“Yes, but…” Weiss chewed her bottom lip. “This time is different, after all.”

“Come on.” Yang took a step back and looped her arm through Weiss’s, Blake doing the same after a moment’s hesitation. “Dad loves you and I’m sure he’s going to be completely cool with this.”

“Dad!” Yang called out as they stopped in the entryway to take off their coats. “We’re here!”

“Either that or you’re playing an elaborate prank, you get your sense of humor from me, you know. I’m in the kitchen,” came Taiyang’s voice from deeper in the house.

“Glad you two came to visit,” Tai said as they entered the kitchen. “Gets kinda lonely here, just Zwei and me.” He looked up from where he was stirring the contents of the large pot on the stove and frowned for a moment, then smiled at Weiss. “Oh, you brought Weiss this time. I’m surprised Zwei didn’t greet you at the door, he’s always eager to see you.”

Instead of answering him, Weiss glanced at Yang and tilted her head toward Taiyang, as if to say, _This one’s on you._ Okay yeah, it was Yang’s dad after all. Yang gave her father a million-lien smile and wiped her left hand on her pants. She hadn’t been this nervous in her entire life, not even the first time she’d told her dad she and Blake were together. “Dad, there’s something I need to tell you. Weiss… Weiss is our girlfriend now, me and Blake’s.”

“Huh.” Taiyang picked up a rag and wiped his hands. “When did this happen?”

“Saturday,” Yang answered, scratching the back of her neck. “We, ah, we realized that Weiss was the third part of us and, um, just decided to make it official. Moved her in with us and everything.”

“Still working things out, then.” Something told Taiyang there was more to the story than that, but he mentally shrugged and held out a hand to Weiss. “You know, something told me you were family the first time you visited here. Seems I was right. Yang, can you set another place for her? This pot of chili needs a bit of attention.”

“So,” Taiyang said as he gave the pot of chili an experimental taste before deciding not to add anything, “what brought this addition to the household on? Or is it none of my business?”

“Your brute of a daughter gets the blame for this,” Weiss said. “There was a… misunderstanding, and she realized that I was the unspoken third partner in their relationship, so she suggested asking me to be her and Blake’s girlfriend. There have been some… problems,” Weiss’s eyes flickered to Blake for a split second, “but I don’t think there’s anything that we can’t work out.”

“Sounds like a normal new relationship, then.” Taiyang shrugged, though he wondered what was behind that ‘misunderstanding’ Weiss had mentioned/. “You’re even quieter than usual, Blake. Or did you leave one of your clones and hide somewhere with a book?”

That made Blake frown. “No, I just…” She sighed. “I’m just adjusting is all. Opening up to Yang was hard but worth it. Realizing how much I’d opened up to Weiss, what she means to us, there’s been a lot of adjustment.”

“For all of us,” Weiss added, smiling at Blake. “I… didn’t grow up with a lot of physical affection, hugs, that sort of thing. Yang’s always been a hugger but now there’s more of it.”

Yang winced. “I didn’t realize it was bothering you.”

That earned her a mock glare from Weiss. “I said there was more of it, I didn’t say it was a problem, did I?”

Unseen by all of them, Taiyang smiled. It sounded like all of them were talking to each other, and there was some real affection between three of them. “Any news from your sister, Yang?”

The blonde shrugged. “Not really. Busy recruiting every silver-eyed person she can find, but I think she’s seeing someone now. No details, though.”

“What else is new?” Tai shrugged. “Next time she drops by for a visit, I’m handcuffing her to a chair until we really catch up”

“I’ll help,” Blake, Weiss, and Yang chimed in at the same time before looking at each other and laughing.

“Well, since Ruby is a ghost these days, and there’s somebody old and new in your life, guess who’s got my full fatherly attention?” Taiyang grinned at his older daughter. “Any good bits to share yet about the three of you?”

Before Yang could answer, Weiss butted in. “Yang hand I had our first official date last night. Nothing too exciting, just dinner and some dancing afterward. Although Yang probably regretted the dinner.”

“Oh? Why?” asked Blake. With everything going on that morning, she’d forgotten to ask how their date went.

“Please stop,” Yang said, covering her face with her hands.

“We went to you and Yang’s favorite restaurant, and I decided to order razor crab. Yang… did the same.”

Blake glared at Yang. “After all the times I tried to get you to try it? On your first date with Weiss? You are paying for that later.”

“Heh, I’m guessing ‘I’m sorry” and a backrub isn’t going to cut it?”

“No.”

“Don’t be too angry,” Weiss said wickedly. “She had hers the same way I do. Mantle style.”

Taiyang and Blake stared at Weiss and Yang for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Oh my god,” Tai said. “I didn’t know you liked spicy food, Weiss. And how did Yang like her Mantle style razor crab?”

“When they pulled it out of the tank, I thought it was some sort of Grimm,” Yang admitted. “And in the end, the crab won. I couldn’t finish it.”

This time Taiyang laughed so hard he had to stop because he ran out of breath. “I think I like her. Are you sure we still need Blake?” he asked, trying to catch his breath again.

“Yes,” chorused all three of them, and Taiyang laughed again.

* * *

A sound on the edge of hearing woke Yang, and she sat up, wondering what it was. It wasn’t the storm outside, she was used to the weather on Patch. No, it was something else. Leaving Blake asleep, she rose, hoping that a turn around the house might settle her mind.

Things had gone well, she thought as she headed for the stairs. Lunch had turned into the inevitable attempts on her dad’s part to embarrass her in front of her new girlfriend. Complete with baby pictures. The one of toddler Yang charging across the backyard, waving her shed diaper like a battle flag had been a particular favorite of Weiss’s, although Yang could have killed her dad for showing it to her.

And that had segued into a four-way video game tournament which had ended with Weiss the victor. Honestly, for someone that hadn’t ever been allowed to play video games until she arrived at Beacon, Weiss had gotten really good at them scary fast. She’d probably stayed up playing them late at night while Ruby had been studying or something.

A light in the kitchen caught Yang’s eye, and she frowned. Somebody probably left it on. No problem; she’d take care of it.

Only it wasn’t just a light left on. Her dad was sitting at the table, looking at something she couldn’t see. Then he took a long pull from the beer sitting on the table next to him and went back to staring the mystery thing. “Can’t sleep either, firecracker?”

Yang shrugged. “Something woke me up. You?”

“Old memories. Here, I’ll get you a beer.”

“Dad, you don’t have to-”

Her father laughed. “I’m being nice because it’s a lot easier with two good hands, and you left one of yours upstairs.”

She winced. “Okay, you’ve got a point. Thanks,” she said, taking the bottle he handed her. “So what’s eating you?”

He hesitated, then sighed. “Something I thought I’d just let fade into history. You, uh, you remember that Raven and I hooked up while we were at Beacon, right?”

“I can do math, dad.” Yang took a sip of her beer. “From what I figure, mom must have been gotten pregnant just after spring break.”

“I’m pretty sure it was during spring break. Because me, her, and Summer spent most of spring break screwing our brains out.”

She coughed, spitting the mouthful of beer she’d just taken across the table. “W-what?”

Tai sighed. “Raven, Summer, and me were a thing while were at Beacon. Poor Qrow, he had a thing for Summer, but it never went anywhere. Don’t worry, though. He was really popular with the ladies, even if he couldn’t manage to hang on to one.”

“Wait, wait.” Yang put down her beer so she could rest her face on her palm. “You’re telling me that my mom, and Ruby’s mom, and you, all at the same time?”

“Yeah.

“I did not need that mental image,” Yang said, taking a rather large swig of her beer. “And we are never speaking of this again. I don’t think Ruby needs to know, and I sure as hell wish I didn’t.”

This brought a shrug from her father. “The rest of it, you know. Raven didn’t take to motherhood and split, and Summer and I just sort of carried on.” He cleared his throat. “So I gotta ask: Are you sure about this? The three of you, I mean.”

“I… don’t know,” Yang admitted. “Yeah, it seemed like a good idea at the time, and maybe it is, but maybe we should have taken things a bit slower.” Especially with what her dad just told her.

“So how’d it start?” Tai asked.

“Saturday mornings, Weiss and Blake used to meet up for coffee and hanging out.” Yang sighed. “I was riding Bumblebee past the park when I spotted them and figured I’d say hi and see what they were up to. But then…” She trailed off, not sure what to say next.

Her dad just waited, sipping his beer while he waited for his daughter to find her words. “I saw Blake and Weiss, and it looked like they were about to kiss. Me and Blake started yelling, and then Weiss started screaming that she was in love with both of us.”

Yang stared out into the storm, so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice when Tai set another beer in front of her. “She was hurting, dad. Weiss loved both of us so much that she was killing herself trying to make sure we stayed together. And I, I couldn’t ignore that. Weiss meant, means too much to us. And that’s when it hit me.”

“Mm.” Her father took a pull on his beer. “So maybe done a bit too fast, but with good intentions.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” Taiyang sighed. “Listen, don’t think that what you’ve got going is doomed just because things didn’t work out for me. You’re three different people, got it? I’ll do what I can to help you out. And if you ever need someone to vent at-’”

“-You’re here, I’ve got it..”

“You tell anyone else yet? Like, I don’t know, your sister?”

Yang shook her head. “I haven’t talked to her, but she’s high on the list of people to tell. And Blake’s parents, and Weiss’s mom and sister, but not her dad and brother, they can rot for all she cares.”

“Don’t put the family off too long.”

“Yeah.” Yang took a drink. “But probably something we should do in person. Maybe take an airship to Menagerie in a week or two to see Blake’s parents. Weiss’s mom, I dunno, she goes to Atlas some, me and Blake can tag along.”

As she headed back to bed, a noise caught Yang’s attention. It was coming from the guest bedroom where Weiss was sleeping. Yang knocked on the door. “Weiss, you okay in there?” She didn’t hear voices, but she did hear noise from inside, so Yang opened the door carefully.

Inside, Weiss was thrashing and whimpering, and Yang could have slapped herself. Weiss was having one of her nightmares. The white-haired once and now again heiress to the Schnee Dust Company had been plagued by them her whole life, she’d once said. Well, given the house she’d grown up in, Yang wasn’t surprised. Now what to do about this…? Aha, got it.

Careful not to wake Weiss, Yang slid into bed next to her, wrapping the slight woman in her arms. Weiss calmed immediately, the thrashing settling into twitching and the whimpering dropping in volume. Bingo. Weiss hadn’t had a nightmare the last two nights, so Yang would have bet money that having someone sleeping with her drove them away.

 _Just have to square things with Blake in the morning_ was the blonde’s last thought as she drifted back to sleep


End file.
